Family Affair
by GreatOne
Summary: Directly after the birth of Luke and Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi has an unexpected visitor.
1. Chapter 1

**ficgift for early-bird-obi-wan from over at TFN.**

* * *

**Family Affair **

Twelve hours after Luke and Leia's birth, on Polis Massa

Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed as he looked down at the red-faced, crying bundle in his arms. The baby, named Luke by his dying mother, was temporarily his charge now, at least until he took the boy to his new home. Yoda had declared that the boy child was stronger in the Force than his twin sister, and therefore it would be necessary to keep him far away from Coruscant, lest the Emperor sense this newborn threat to his throne.

For his part, Obi-Wan seemed less certain that Luke was more powerful in the Force than his sister. More _open_ in transmitting those powers, perhaps, but the little girl was strong in her own way. He glanced over at the girl baby, lying quietly in her bassinet, her eyes tightly shut and her tiny fingers curled into a fist. Obi-Wan worried about Yoda's decision to allow Prince Viceroy Bail Organa and his wife to adopt the girl, thereby allowing the Force-strong child to grow up in such an open, political environment where she might very well encounter the Sith Lord Palpatine. And, as good a man as Prince Organa was, neither he nor his wife were Force-sensitive in the least. How would they deal with the issues that would surely arise as little Leia grew and discovered her special powers?

He was just as uncertain about taking little Luke to Tatooine, where he would grow up in much the same way as his father, even if he was not a slave. Moisture farmers had a hard life, and Luke would surely experience hardship as well, and, just like the Organas, the Lars had no experience with the Force. To Obi-Wan, it felt as though he was adding another layer of tragedy upon the heads' of these innocent babies.

"Fatherhood suits you, Obi-Wan," a soft voice said from behind his back.

Startled, Obi-Wan spun around, mentally cursing his inability to draw his lightsaber and defend himself while holding a baby. The sensation of helplessness quickly melted into other, more profound emotions; that of stunning disbelief."Siri!"

Jedi Master Siri Tachi smiled and stepped closer, reaching up and touching his face in an intimate manner. "None other." She then moved her arms to take the bawling baby from Obi-Wan before he could drop his bundle out of shock, and once in her possession, the baby stopped crying almost immediately.

"You… I mean, I held you… while you… died." Yet, she was here, alive and apparently quite well. She still looked wonderful to Obi-Wan's eyes, even if there were lines in her face that hadn't been there before.

"I have no doubt that I died that day on Azure ," Siri admitted, unable to stop herself from shuddering at the memory. "But it must not have been my time to become One with the Force. After you left, I was taken to a transport ship, and it was there that Jedi Vokara Che saw I still drew a breath, and she was able to heal the blaster wound and allow my spirit to reconnect to my body."

"It's been three years. You should have contacted me," Obi-Wan whispered, unable to take his eyes off the woman he loved. _Yes,_ he mentally conceded, _I love her. I chastised Anakin for his feelings for Padme, yet I am no different from him in that regard. _He desperately wanted to gather her into his arms and kiss her until time itself came to a halt, but he he didn't dare. Both he and Siri were Jedi Masters, and it would be inappropriate to act like teenaged Padawans.

"You almost turned to the dark side when you thought I had died," Siri replied. "I couldn't allow our feelings to destroy our Jedi commitment to the good of the galaxy. We decided if I stayed away from you, it would help both of us focus on our work as Jedi."

"Wait a moment… we?"

Siri looked down at the baby. "Master Windu and Master Yoda, mostly."

"So where did you go for so long?"

"The near-death experience left me desiring answers about the greater meaning of life and the Force. I've spent the past three years seeking those answers, and traveling the Unknown Regions."

Obi-Wan gave a wary smile. "Did you find your answers?"

Again, Siri looked down at the baby to avoid Obi-Wan's gaze. "In a way. If I would have remained on Coruscant, I know that I wouldn't have survived the latest Jedi massacre." She steeled herself and looked at Obi-Wan, her intense blue eyes locking with his own. "There is no place in the Emperor's galaxy that is safe anymore, either for us or these children of your Padawan. The Force has told me they are the hope for the future."

"Yoda and I do agree with you on that," Obi-Wan stated with a nod. "It's been decided that the girl will be adopted by the Organa family, and I will take the boy to Tatooine, where the Lars will raise him and I will watch over him from a safe distance. They will be safe that way."

"Alderaan is in the Core, and even Tatooine won't be far enough away to keep them from harm. You must feel this, Obi-Wan."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Yes, I do." Siri took a deep breath and plunged forward, hoping Obi-Wan would at least consider this option. "We need to take these babies to the Unknown Regions, and raise them as our own."

This suggestion startled Obi-Wan. "But… there are so many dangers in the Unknown Regions.."

"The Emperor is not there," Siri stated firmly. "The Jedi have been decimated. Even you have to admit that. Yoda plans on going into hiding, and what you're going to do is basically the same thing. I agree that the remaining Jedi need to hide, only in a better hiding place than Imperial Space. And we need to do a better job of shielding these children. They will need to be trained as Jedi, from an early age. According to the Jedi Council, that was the downfall of Anakin Skywalker, wasn't it? He started out training too late in life? How is waiting even _longer _to train these children supposed to have a better outcome?"

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard thoughtfully as he gazed at the twins. It was just like Siri to use the reasoning of the Jedi Council in her argument. "This wouldn't have anything to do with your latent desires to have babies and a family of your own, would it, Siri?"

Siri flushed. "It might be a small part of it, but it's not the main reason. Look at the facts, Obi-Wan. You know what I'm saying makes sense."

"Yoda won't agree."

"We don't have to tell him."

"You're suggesting we just snatch these babies and take off… without telling anyone?"

"It would be the safest way, yes."

"The Organas will be crushed," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"They'll get over it," Siri replied. "They have other options when it comes to adopting a baby."

"Do you have a destination in mind?"

Siri gave a broad smile, knowing she was close to winning. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"You have always been a bad influence on me, Siri," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head in dismay.

"Take the girl," Siri ordered, nodding toward Leia. "We have to hurry, before Yoda figures out what we're up to."

With a great sense of trepidation, Obi-Wan picked up little Leia and followed Siri toward her waiting ship.

* * *

"Left, he has," Yoda informed a shocked Bail Organa after they arrived on Polis Massa to collect the girl child. "With him, goes the future."

"I don't understand," Bail said. "My wife will be devastated. Did Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi think we were not good enough to adopt Padme's daughter?"

"Uncertain I am as to his reasons," Yoda replied. "Make this decision alone he did not."

"Who influenced him?" demanded Bail indignantly.

"Jedi Tachi. Sent her away, I did, hoping to circumvent their emotions. Obi-Wan, I fear, is now following the same path as his Padawan."

"You believe Obi-Wan Kenobi is turning to the dark side?" Bail asked in horror. "Why didn't you sense Jedi Tachi was coming here?"

"Shielded her intentions from me, she did. Following their hearts instead of their minds, both Jedi Kenobi and Jedi Tachi are, and no place in a Jedi mission for personal love can there be. Forbidden, it is, and what led to Jedi Skywalker's downfall. The end result for Jedi Kenobi and Jedi Tachi I cannot say."

Bail frowned down at Yoda. "It sounds like a formula setting your Jedi up for certain failure."

"Understand, you cannot," Yoda said.

"No, I guess I can't."


	2. Chapter 2

Two

"Are we there yet?" Obi-Wan asked for the hundredth time since they'd left Polis Massa for the Unknown Regions.

Siri laughed and shook her head. "You're worse than a little youngling."

Obi-Wan held up a used diaper, pinching shut his nostrils. "I do wish we would have brought a nanny droid along with us."

"I've already told you – there are no droids on this particular planet. Once we arrive, we'll have to locate an inaccessible cavern to hide this ship, and use the Force to help us find our way out. Under no circumstances can we take the chance that a local human find this ship. It's very likely they'll destroy it out of fear of the unknown, and then we'll be trapped on this planet forever, instead of just a couple of decades."

"Decades," Obi-Wan repeated glumly. "A lifetime."

"You'll be spending it with me," Siri pointed out. "Unless the idea of twenty years with me seems like an eternity to you."

"Of course not," Obi-Wan said quickly. "Do they have marriage on this planet?"

"Yes, they do." She gave a half-smile. "Was that a proposal, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "If Luke and Leia are to be our younglings, then I am guessing we'll be posing as husband and wife."

"It would be appropriate."

"Well, then, husband and wife we'll pretend to be."

Siri folded her arms across her chest. "You don't have to sound so gloomy about it."

"I'm not!" Obi-Wan objected. "It's just that I'm still not convinced we're doing the right thing." During this trip, he had spent what little free time he had pondering the implications of their rash action. Obi-Wan also tried to come up with a valid explanation of why Master Windu and Master Yoda had sent Siri away, coldly allowing him to believe she had died. Deep down, it angered him a great deal that people he'd also considered friends and colleagues had shown such disregard for both his grief, and his commitment to the Jedi. He didn't want to examine this lack of trust too deeply, fearing it would make him start questioning everything he believed.

"So you've told me, repeatedly," Siri said with a sigh. "This _is_ the right thing to do, Obi-Wan."

"The humans on this planet sound so… primitive."

"What defines the word 'primitive'? That they don't have central heat, or skyscrapers? Or they have less _refined _methods of killing each other? In another thousand years, perhaps our descendants will think we were primitive by _their _standards."

"True," Obi-Wan agreed. "Still, if we can take a small generator with us off the ship, survival will be easier."

Siri shrugged. "I suppose that may be possible, as long as we hide it inside something they recognize, like a wooden barrel."

Both twin babies suddenly started crying, and Obi-Wan gave a weary sigh. Until this trip, he had been blissfully unaware of how much hard work babies were. "Are we there yet?"

The blue and green planet spun peacefully below, and Obi-Wan could sense it was teeming with life. "Humans are the only sentient life?"

"Yes, and they haven't populated much of the planet. We'll pick a place near a small village, and do our best to blend in with the locals. They dress simply, so our Jedi robes will not seem foreign to them." She gave him a cheeky grin. "I was smart enough to collect quite of few of their coins the last time I was here. They refer to money as drachma, and most of the cities mint their own coins, although they are accepted in different jurisdictions as long as the metal has value." Siri spent some time rummaging through a container before finally pulling out a crudely hammered metal box about three feet long and a foot deep. She set it down on a table and opened the box, showing Obi-Wan that it was filled with metal coins of various sizes and colors. The coins all were stamped with various images; however, the profile of a woman was prominent on many of the coins.

"She seems to be popular," Obi-Wan commented, holding up one of those coins as he inspected it closely.

"That's Athena, a daughter of the god Zeus and the sworn enemy of Hera, who is one of Zeus' wives. The local humans like Athena because she's one of the supposedly good goddesses, which is why she's depicted on coins."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "_One _of his wives?"

"Zeus is rather popular, too," Siri replied. "The locals are firmly convinced all these gods and goddesses are quite real and, depending on their whim, can bring them harm or bring them favor. Personally, when I was here, I never met anyone that seemed out-of-the-ordinary."

"I certainly hope that's the case. I would hate to travel all this way to avoid Palpatine, only to run into someone just as bad."

Siri gave a nervous cough. "That would be bad, wouldn't it? Well, I'd better go locate a safe place to land the ship. Make certain the babies are safely strapped in for landing." She hurried away, before Obi-Wan could ask her any more questions.

Siri located a deep cave and expertly guided her ship into the dark interior. The cave narrowed and ended with a bowl shaped indention in the stone floor, and she set the ship down and turned off the engines. "This isn't quite as hidden as I'd like it to be."

"There were quite a few loose boulders on the way in," Obi-Wan pointed out. "We can use the Force to create a wall in front the ship, and when we need to leave we'll remove them the same way."

"That's a brilliant idea. I knew I loved you for a reason," Siri replied lightly.

"Hardly brilliant," Obi-Wan protested, feeling his heart give a flutter over the last part of her comment. "Do you, really?"

Siri spun in her seat to face Obi-Wan. "Do I really… what?"

"Love me?"

"It was one of the questions I sought the answer to during my three year quest," she replied softly. "And the answer I came up with was, yes, I do love you."

"I love you, too. I always have."

"I know."

Obi-Wan decided to stop fighting his desires, and gathered Siri into his arms and kissed her.

* * *

"I know what I saw," Iolus insisted to his much larger friend, who was sitting on the ground near a small campfire. "I'm sure it was a flying chariot of some type – silver, with fire coming out of the backside. Maybe your half-brother Hermes took a wrong turn and crashed."

Hercules gave a groan, glancing up at Iolus, who had spent the last half an hour arguing with him about this matter. "Gods don't crash."

"They might, especially if another god was angry with them," Iolus argued. "Apollo and Hera don't like Hermes very much."

"Hera doesn't like anyone. And why are you fixating on Hermes all of a sudden? If it was a crashing god, it could have been one of dozens."

"I'm just _guessing_ it _might _be Hermes, since he's the god of travel and all that," said Iolus, sounding miffed. "I'm going to check it out. You can stay here and hide like a little girl."

"Insulting me in order to get me to go along isn't going to work."

Iolus turned and gave Hercules a wide-eyed, innocent expression. "Me? I would never consider trying to manipulate you, my friend."

"Sure you wouldn't," Hercules responded blithely as he stood up and kicked dirt over the campfire.

Iolus noted Hercule's action. "So, you're coming with me?"

"I'm coming, but I have a bad feeling about this."


	3. Chapter 3

Three

"There," Obi-Wan said as he finished levitated the final boulder into place. "That should effectively hide the ship until we need it again."

Siri nodded her approval with their work. Before camouflaging the ship, they had taken care to remove certain items, one of which was a small generator. They would hide these items in a crevasse in the cave until they had the opportunity to come back and retrieve them. In the meantime, the only advanced objects they would take with them would be their lightsabers, which could be concealed under their robes. Siri had fashioned cloth slings to drape over their necks and enable them to easily carry the infants against their chests, and since the coins were heavy, gave Obi-Wan half the drachma to carry, as well.

The two Jedi headed off toward the nearest settlement, which was half a day's hike in the distance. Siri declared that they should easily reach the village before nightfall, and she seemed determined to not spend the night at a campsite.

They had been walking along a dirt path through a dense forest for about an hour when they heard a high-pitched scream of terror coming from several hundred yards away.

"Ignore them," Siri whispered, tugging on Obi-Wan's arm.

The scream sounded again, this time followed by the cry of a young child. "Ignore them?" Obi-Wan asked, stunned Siri would suggest such a thing. "Someone needs help."

"We can't help everyone, Obi-Wan," Siri argued. "Our only job is to protect these babies, in case you've forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten, but I do think _you _might have forgotten your duties as a Jedi somewhere during the course of the past three years."

"I've been here," Siri responded hotly, even as Obi-Wan handed her baby Luke. "I know how many dangers this place holds."

"And I will not ignore someone in need," Obi-Wan shot back, leaving the path and running toward the screams as he drew his lightsaber from beneath his cloak, leaving Siri with no choice but the follow in his wake.

The trees quickly thinned out and Obi-Wan realized he was now in a large meadow, which would have been quite pretty if not for the fact there was a large, green-scaled, clawed beast in the center of the field. At the far side of the meadow, he noticed the field suddenly ended with a vast expanse of sky beyond. This, he assumed, was the edge of a cliff. He exited the forest near the source of the screaming – a native woman in her early twenties, staring horror-stricken toward the creature, which resembled a Greater Krayt dragon in Obi-Wan's eyes. To make matters worse, the dragon was not focused on the woman, but instead was stalking a young child, who seemed destined to end up as the creature's dinner.

The woman suddenly noticed Obi-Wan, and pointed toward the child. "My daughter…" she managed to gasp out in a thick accent, the type of which he'd never heard before. Still, it was a pleasant surprise he could understand her at all. "I'll save her," Obi-Wan replied, turning on his lightsaber and shouting at the beast to draw its attention from the child.

It worked. The dragon spun around, exhaling a stream of smoke from its nostrils and striking out with its claws, each toenail as long as Obi-Wan was tall. The Jedi rolled away from the slashing paw, while managing to sever one of the toes with his saber in the same movement. If he'd hoped the pain of the lost toe would send the creature scurrying away, he was wrong. Instead, the loss simply enraged the beast further, and a blast of fire shot from its mouth at the Jedi.

Obi-Wan used the Force to flip his body up and over the deadly blast, and quickly drew his lightsaber down the creature's side. The dragon's hide was tough and thick, and although Obi-Wan's lightsaber drew blood, it failed to deeply penetrate and cause much damage.

The trapped child had used this distraction to run to her mother, who gathered her up into her arms. Siri had also arrived on the scene, and was torn between placing the twin babies on the grass and helping Obi-Wan with his life and death battle, or watching from the sidelines and keeping the twins safe. She was about to ask the woman to watch the twins, but when she turned to make the request she realized it was a moot point – the woman had taken her own child and fled. Siri was forced to remain in place and watch the battle unfold from the sidelines.

The dragon beast circled around his enemy, trying to get past Obi-Wan's lightsaber, and was quickly learning that the glowing blue saber was not something to mess with. The creature let loose with another stream of fire, only to have Obi-Wan use the Force to repel the flames back into the dragon's face. This caused the beast to roar in pain as the fire charred its face, and the dragon lashed its long, spiked tail around, catching Obi-Wan slightly off-guard as the tail whipped against the Jedi's ankles. Obi-Wan fell to the ground, using his momentum to roll away from the backward lash of the tail.

Suddenly, the beast noticed Siri, and spun away from Obi-Wan as it charged in her direction. Obi-Wan knew he had to act fast. Holding the babies, Siri was in no position to mount an effective defense, even using her lightsaber. The Jedi Master threw his lightsaber at the dragon's neck. Unfortunately, although it struck where Obi-Wan had intended, the blade barely left a mark. But it did cause the dragon to stop its charge toward Siri and the babies, and turn around to roar in frustrated rage at Obi-Wan. Then, head down and eyes glowing red, it charged full speed at the now lightsaber-less Jedi.

Obi-Wan turned and ran through the meadow and toward the edge of the cliff, trying to find some inspiration. His eyes drifted up, toward a tree perched at the very brink of the abyss, and hanging from the tree was a thick vine. Hoping desperately that the vine was firmly attached to its host, Obi-Wan grasped the cord and swung his body over the precipice, swallowing hard as he noted that the drop-off was very, very steep and the bottom of the canyon hundreds of feet below. The beast had kept his eyes focused on its annoying adversary, and only at the very final moment realized the ground had come to an abrupt end. It vainly attempted to halt its charge, but its momentum was far too great – the beast careened over the edge of the cliff, and catapulted head-over-heels downward to the rocky canyon floor.

Still holding onto his swinging vine, Obi-Wan noted with satisfaction the hard impact made by the dragon and the cloud of debris that billowed up, obscuring the dragon's death-throes. The vine swung back over to safety, and Obi-Wan released his grip as he landed safely back in the meadow.

Siri ran to his side, kissing him on the lips. "Good job," she whispered in his ear.

"Um, Siri?"

"Yes?"

"We might have another problem now," Obi-Wan said, pointing back over her shoulder.

Siri turned to face this new threat, and saw two men standing about thirty feet away. One man was tall and very muscular, while his companion was rather on the short side, and not quite as intimidating looking - except for the fact the shorter man was holding Obi-Wan's now-inactive lightsaber.

The shorter man spoke first, holding up the silver tube and looking at the taller man, his eyes wide with awe at what they'd just witnessed. "See, Herc? I told you they were gods, didn't I? They must be relatives of Zeus to be able to command the very lightning from the sky!"

"It does look like you might be right," the taller man said, appearing to be far less impressed or worried than the shorter man. "But, remember, they helped save that little girl, and took out a Mettalon Dragon, which is not an easy task, Iolus."

"My point, exactly," Iolus argued. "Only a god can kill a dragon, and that dragon is quite deceased." He pointed over the side of the cliff to the flattened beast lying far below.

"They believe we're some type of god?" Obi-Wan asked in surprise. "Why would they think that?"

"They've never seen lightsabers, and this is the very thing I wanted to avoid," Siri said, shaking her head in exasperation. She addressed the local humans, and spoke firmly, "We're only travelers, not gods."

"Then explain this," Iolus said, waving around the silver tube as he stalked closer to the Jedi.

"Could I please have that back?" Obi-Wan asked politely.

"Not until you tell us who you are, and what you plan on doing here."

"Maybe you should give the man his lightning weapon back," the taller man asked his friend.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan replied to Iolus. "And this is my… my wife, Siri, and our two children, Luke and Leia."

The taller man gave a pleasant smile. "My name is Hercules, and this is my friend, Iolus. It's nice to meet you. And thank you for helping that lady and her child."

"You're welcome, Hercules," Obi-Wan said. "Now can I have my weapon back?"

"Not until after you explain what you're doing here," Iolus demanded. "Besides fooling people into thinking you're good gods by rescuing little children from dragons, that is."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I really would like to have that back." Then he used the Force to rip the lightsaber from Iolus' grip and guided the hilt into his own hand.

The Jedi Master was not quite expecting the next reaction, which was Iolus drawing his heavy sword and charging at him with a wild war whoop.


	4. Chapter 4

Four

It didn't take the Jedi longer than a fraction of a second to ignite his saber and cleave the metal sword off near the handle, leaving the Earth human holding a very ineffective, metal stub.

Iolus stopped short, gaping at his now useless sword. "You've ruined my sword! I made it myself and I've had it for years!" He turned to face his friend. "Herc, do something."

"What would you suggest I do?"

"Pound him into the ground," Iolus replied indignantly, waving his destroyed weapon in the air. "Take retribution! Show him who's the boss around here!"

"I can't do that," Hercules said calmly.

"Why not?"

"Well, to start with, you _did_ attack the man, and he was merely defending himself. Not to mention the fact his weapon could've made short work of more than just your sword. Pardon the pun."

"Is that a short joke?" Iolus said, frowning. "You know I don't appreciate short jokes."

"If you don't mind, we'd like to continue our journey. It's getting late, and we want to be safely inside the nearest village by nightfall," Siri said.

"Why?" Iolus asked suspiciously. "If you're gods, then you shouldn't be afraid of the dark."

"We never said we were gods," Obi-Wan responded. "You've seemed to jump to that conclusion all by yourself."

"Jumped to that conclusion? Then explain how you can command lightning, and jump over fire breathing dragons! I know what I saw with my own two eyes."

Siri gave Obi-Wan a weary smile. "Yes, dear. Explain that to these nice men."

"Uh, well, we aren't from around here," Obi-Wan said, realizing how lame that sounded. When no one spoke, he was forced to continue his explanation in greater detail. "We've traveled from a faraway place, and some of our people have special talents. But one day a very evil man became King of this land and he decided that those of us with special talents were too much of a threat to his power, so he ordered his vast army to attack us. Even with our special talents, we couldn't prevail against so many, and most of our kind were murdered. My wife and I were forced to flee for our lives with our newborn babies."

"We were hoping to find a safe place to raise our younglings, and thought we might find sanctuary among your people," Siri added.

"What kind of special talents are you talking about?" Iolus questioned. "Can you do even more than what we've already seen?"

"A few things."

"Well, I hope you don't attract the wrong type of attention," Iolus stated. "I can't imagine that Hera or Zeus will appreciate your kind, either."

"That's true," Hercules finally said, nodding his agreement. "In fact, they might be more of a threat to you and your wife than the King you just ran from."

"I sincerely doubt that," Obi-Wan replied, just as baby Leia started crying. "Our younglings are hungry, and we really need to continue our journey."

"We'll see you safely to the village," Hercules volunteered, much to Iolus' dismay. "Besides, my short friend here needs to forge a new weapon."

The group laughed as Iolus gave a snort and marched resolutely away.

* * *

They made it to the village shortly after sunset, and Hercules found a small lodge that had several rooms to lease to travelers. After feeding the twins, Obi-Wan and Siri ate the strange tasting dinner that the innkeeper provided his guests. The stringy meat was overcooked and extremely tough, and the vegetables soggy and gray. Neither Hercules nor Iolus seemed to notice the foul tasting food and spent several hours regaling the newcomers about their own adventures. Obi-Wan was a bit concerned about the stories Hercules told of powerful gods and goddesses that would occasionally make appearances.

After they retired for the evening, Obi-Wan wondered aloud to Siri if these gods and goddesses were simply Force-users on this planet, using their powers to impress and intimidate the local, non-Force users.

"Perhaps," Siri replied, carefully covering the babies with a blanket. "It would probably be a good thing to avoid using our powers from now on. I just hope it's not too late."

"I couldn't allow that child to die," Obi-Wan stated, knowing she was referring to his Force-enhanced rescue earlier.

"I know that," Siri said, moving to take Obi-Wan into her arms. "Let's not argue about it. All we have left is each other, and maybe that's not such a bad thing." Their lips locked, and Obi-Wan briefly felt a vague sense of guilt and apprehension before desire overwhelmed him.

No matter how hard the Jedi Master tried, he could never totally squelch his emotions. Now that the Jedi had been nearly exterminated, he wondered if it even mattered anymore. "Will you marry me, Siri?" he asked after they pulled away from the heated kiss.

Siri laughed. "I thought we were already husband and wife."

"I don't mean I want us to pretend to be married," Obi-Wan clarified. "I mean really, truly married."

"Yes," Siri whispered. "I will be your wife. For the rest of our lives we will be bonded through the Force and our love."

* * *

Hours after Obi-Wan drifted off to sleep, Siri slipped out of the bedroom and quietly headed out into the cool night air. She walked to the edge of the small village, and drew out her lightsaber from under her robe, igniting the violet blade. "I've come back," she spoke into the darkness. "Just like I promised."

A shimmering light appeared, and then the light took on a form of a woman. "I am here. Welcome back, Jedi Siri."

Siri nodded. "Athena, I arrived back home too late to help my friends overcome the Evil One."

"You would have perished in the battle. All that matters is that they are here."

"Yes. Your vision was correct, and the Chosen One fathered two babies. I've brought them here, just as you've requested."

"They will fulfill twin destinies. I have foreseen this."

"You will keep us safe, then? Until they've grown into adults… and are well-trained in the Force?"

"I will keep my word to you. When they are babies no longer, they shall use their Powers to forever end the terror that Zeus, Hera and the rest of the gods bring down on humanity. Only after this accomplishment can they move on, to end the reign of terror in your part of the stars."

"That is our deal," Siri agreed. "You keep us safe, and my husband and I will raise the babies. In the end, we will both get what we want."

"Yes. We both get what we desire," Athena said. Then she disappeared.

A soft rustle in a nearby bush sounded, and Siri spun to face its direction, using her lightsaber to illuminate the night. "Who is there?"

A shadowed form scurried out from behind the hiding place, trying to escape, but Siri had no intention of letting the eavesdropper get away so easily.


	5. Chapter 5

Five

Even in the darkness, the Jedi caught up with the eavesdropper in a few short strides as they both ran toward the small inn, and threw herself at his ankles to tackle him, sending them both crashing into a stack of wooden buckets. Unfortunately, the wooden buckets contained a foul smelling sludge that Siri sincerely hoped wasn't what she thought it was. The nasty sludge sloshed out, and covered both Siri and the man she was pursuing.

"It's you!" Siri cried, not bothering to try to keep things quiet. The crashing buckets had been loud enough to wake the dead. "Why are you spying on me?"

"I had to get enough proof to convince Hercules that you have evil intentions," Iolus responded hotly. "And now I have my proof, too!"

The innkeeper appeared, holding up a torch for light. "What is going on out here?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust, taking a step back.

"I'd like to know the answer to that, too," said Hercules, stepping out of the inn. Obi-Wan was right behind him, frowning in confusion.

"I caught these two stealing my muck buckets, red handed" the innkeeper declared.

"Their hands don't look too red to me," Obi-Wan stated, trying not to gag at the stench.

"We're not stealing your smelly buckets," Siri said, climbing to her feet. "I was out taking a walk when this louse followed me. I caught him spying on me."

Iolus jumped up out of the dung, indignant. "I was right all along, Herc. I told you we shouldn't trust these two."

"Then why did you bring them to my establishment?" the innkeeper asked, annoyed. "I am seriously considering asking all of you to leave."

"You don't have to do that," Obi-Wan stated calmly.

"I don't have to do that," the innkeeper repeated.

"You need to go inside and leave this private matter for your guests to handle." Obi-Wan gently took the torch from the man's grasp.

"I need to leave this matter for my guests to handle. I'm going inside, now." With that, he turned and entered the lodge.

Hercules raised his eyebrows. "That's an interesting talent you have, Obi-Wan."

"They're gods," Iolus stated firmly. "I caught Siri talking to Athena, making her all sorts of promises."

"Is that true?" Hercules asked Siri.

"Athena and the rest of them are not gods, no more than we're gods," Siri replied.

Iolus' eyes grew wide. "Don't let them hear you say that! We'll all be turned into frogs!"

"She can't do that to us," Siri said, sounding exasperated. She looked sheepishly over at Obi-Wan. "I have a lot of explaining to do, I suppose."

"I suppose," Obi-Wan agreed. "But not until you take a bath. Frankly, Siri, you smell somewhat… ripe."

"My friend needs a bath, as well," Hercules added with a nod. "I'm not sharing a room with him until he stops reeking like a pig's pen."

"After breakfast, we'll all take a walk and I'll try to clear things up," Siri said.

"If they don't turn us into frogs while we're asleep, that is," Iolus muttered as he headed toward the creek to clean up.

* * *

Iolus was surprised to find he was still a human the next morning, and after they ate a meal of gray gruel and some fruit, the four adults, with babies in tow, headed out for a hike in the crisp morning.

After a while, Siri finally found some boulders where they could all sit, and she addressed the group. "The people you call gods and goddesses on this planet are those we call Force users. In our galaxy, we have good Force users that we call Jedi, and bad Force users that we call Sith."

Obi-Wan nodded. "The bad King I told you about earlier is a Sith named Palpatine, or Lord Sidious. Siri and I are both Jedi Knights."

"Jedi Knights were sworn to protect the galaxy from evil, including Sith," Siri told the two men. "But we failed, and Lord Sidious has pretty much wiped out all the Jedi in our galaxy." She looked down at baby Leia, and stroked her cheek. "These two babies are the last hope in our galaxy."

"Their father was a very powerful Jedi, who was seduced to the Dark Side by Lord Sidious and became a Sith Lord himself," Obi-Wan added.

"We brought them here, to your planet, to protect them from their evil father, and Lord Sidious."

"I can understand all of that," Hercules said, "but what about your conversation last night with Athena?"

Obi-Wan gazed at Siri. "This is the point where I've been left out, as well."

Siri took a hard swallow. "I didn't mean to deceive you, Obi-Wan, but I was afraid if you knew everything, you wouldn't have agreed to come here at all."

"I am seriously reconsidering our rash actions. Perhaps we should return to our galaxy, and use Yoda's original plan."

"No!" cried Siri. "You have to let me explain!"

"Go on."

"Athena is a powerful Force-user, like us. She's what we would consider a Jedi. There are others that are good Force-users, but there are also Dark Side users, too. Hera and Zeus are both Dark Side Force users. They terrorize the regular people, using the Force to create illusions like appearing and disappearing in an instant." She looked over at Iolus. "Or they make people think their friends or relatives have turned into frogs, when instead they've either killed them, or enslaved them."

"So those things are just tricks?" Iolus asked.

"Exactly. The same type of mind trick that Obi-Wan used last night to convince the innkeeper to go back inside."

"You met Athena the last time you were here?" Obi-Wan asked, although it wasn't really a question, since he already knew the answer.

"She had a Force vision that we would be able to help her and the other good Force users on this planet free these people of Dark Side users. Her vision said we could keep Leia and Luke safe, and train them here. Once they are old enough, the four of us can help her and the others defeat the Dark Side users," Siri explained. She gave a worried smile at Obi-Wan. "It could be considered practice for when we return to defeat the Emperor."

"I wish you had been honest with me from the beginning," Obi-Wan stated grimly.

Iolus peered into little Luke's face. "This baby is going to defeat Zeus? It doesn't seem too likely."

"I think it's more than likely," Hercules said. "In fact, I'd love to see Hera and Zeus and the rest of those… what they call Dark Side users, reign of terror brought to an end. Sometimes, hope for the future can come in unexpectedly small packages."

"I'm worried about keeping Luke and Leia safe from these local Sith," Obi-Wan said. "If Athena is aware we are here, then the other Force users may be aware, as well."

"I was thinking the same thing," Siri said. "But this is a big planet, and the Force users have limits of where they can travel, since they haven't yet invented air or space travel."

"So you think we should leave this area?"

"Yes, and I have an idea where we can live in relative safety, too," Siri replied, looking at Hercules. "I hope you don't take offense if I don't let you know where we're heading. But just remember… we will be back to help your people, in time."

"I do believe you," Hercules said, watching as Iolus flung his arms around Siri.

"Stay safe, Jedi Siri," Iolus said with a sniffle. "And don't fall in any more slop buckets."

Hercules spoke up. "Obi-Wan? Would it be possible for us to see your flying ship? I promise to make Iolus behave himself."

"Hey!"

Obi-Wan looked over at Siri. "I sense that Hercules can access the Force, too."

"Yes. He's a Force user," Siri agreed. "We'll be able to count on his help when the time comes to take on the Dark Side users."

The Jedi nodded at Hercules. "I see no reason you can't see our ship."

"Thank you," Hercules said, embarrassed but pleased with these strangers' compliments.

* * *

They led the two Earth men to the cave that held their ship, and demonstrated the ability to levitate the rocks that hide the ship. After a bit of prodding by Iolus, Hercules also showed his own abilities to Obi-Wan and Siri by physically picking up and moving some of the largest boulders with his incredible strength.

Siri's jaw dropped in awe as Hercules tossed a huge rock aside like it was made of lightweight foam. "I was wondering where you got those fantastic muscles."

"Uh, Siri?" Obi-Wan asked, waving his hand in front of her face. "I'm standing right here."

"Don't take it too personally," Iolus said with a laugh. "Herc has that kind of effect on all females. It's like we're invisible when he's around."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Women used to consider me rather dashing. Perhaps it's a good thing we are relocating."

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan," Siri said with a teasing laugh. "I still think you're a fine male specimen. Comparatively speaking, of course."

"Of course."

* * *

A day later, Hercules and Iolus watched as the silver ship left the cave and made a graceful turn in the sky before it disappeared.

"That is one fantastic flying ship they have," Hercules commented. "I wonder how long it will take the people on our planet to develop such wonderful ways of traveling through the stars."

"I hope, wherever they go, they're safe from Zeus," Iolus said, squinting into the distance.

"Now, don't tell me you're going to miss them. A few days ago you thought they were our enemy."

"A guy can change his mind," Iolus said with an indignant snort.

"Of course he can," Hercules said, reassuringly. "It's just that you have such a short attention span."

"Short jokes? Again?!"

* * *

"There," said Siri, pointing to a small, green island. It was near the equator, in the middle of the largest ocean, and sensors indicated there were no human beings at all on this island, or on any of the other islands in this particular chain. "The one near the northern edge is large enough to have plenty of local food sources, and the ship's sensor also indicates the volcano is totally inactive. The active volcanoes are on the islands further to the south, and far enough away not to affect this island."

"How close are the nearest humans?" Obi-Wan asked, as he guided the ship toward the island.

"Almost a thousand miles away, on more islands toward the southwest. We won't have to hide our ship, and we can use it as our home. If the local humans do manage to sail the ocean, they will arrive at the islands further to the south, first, and we'll be able to have plenty of warning they are getting close."

Obi-Wan maneuvered the ship into a landing spot. They gathered up the babies, and walked out into the flower-scented breeze. To the south, a long, narrow waterfall cascaded off a tall, green cliff. Directly to the north, a white pristine beach enticed, with strange trees that had long narrow trunks and leafy fronds for their leaves.

They walked in silence over to stand in the soft, warm sand. The sun was beginning to set in the west, casting rose and amber rays over the breaking surf. He turned to face Siri. "Eighteen years with no other human contact is going to be difficult," Obi-Wan said, "even if it is in the most beautiful of places, and with the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy."

Siri smiled. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Obi-Wan leaned over and kissed the woman he loved, mentally conceding that perhaps this banishment might not turn out to be so bad after all.

**THE END **


End file.
